Congrats! Modern hearing aids are an amazing piece of technology, and you’ve recently become the proud owner of a shiny new pair. But new hearing aid owners will wish somebody had told them certain things, as with any new technology.
Let’s examine how a new hearing aid owner can eliminate the 9 most common hearing aid errors.
1. Neglecting to understand hearing aid functionality.
To put it bluntly, learn your hearing aid’s functions. The hearing experience will be greatly enhanced if you know how to utilize advanced features for different settings like on the street, at the movies, or in a restaurant.
It may be able to connect wirelessly to your smartphone, TV, or stereo. In addition, it may have a special setting that helps you hear on the phone.
If you fail to learn about these functions, it’s so easy to get stuck in a rut by using your technologically-advanced hearing aid in a rudimentary way. Modern hearing aids do more than simply raise the volume of outside sounds.
In order to get the clearest and best sound, take some time to practice using the hearing aid in different places. Test out how well you hear by asking a friend or family member to help you.
Like anything new, it will get easier after a bit of practice. Simply raising and lowering the volume won’t even come close to providing the hearing experience that utilizing these more sophisticated features will.
2. Expecting immediate improvement in your hearing
Consistent with number one, many new hearing aid owners think their hearing will be optimal as they leave the office. This assumption is usually not how it works. It generally takes up to a month for most new users to become comfortable with their new hearing aids. But don’t get frustrated. The time you take is well worth it according to those who are diligent.
After getting home, give yourself a couple of days to get used to the new situation. It won’t be that much different than breaking in new shoes. Usually, you will need to go slow and use your new hearing aids a little at a time.
Start by just quietly talking with friends. It can be a bit disorienting initially because voices might not sound the same. Ask your friends if you’re speaking too loud and make the required adjustments.
Slowly increase the time you use your hearing aids and gradually add new places to visit.
Be patient with yourself, and you’ll have countless wonderful hearing experiences to look forward to.
3. Not being truthful about your level of hearing loss at your hearing exam
In order to be certain you get the ideal hearing aid technology, it’s essential to answer any questions we may ask truthfully.
If you have your hearing aid and realize that maybe you weren’t as honest as you may have been, come back and get retested. Getting it straight the first time is better. The hearing aid type and style that will be ideal for you will be determined by the degree and kind of hearing loss you’re experiencing.
As an illustration, people with hearing loss in the high frequency range will require a specific type of hearing aid. Others are better for people with mid-frequency hearing loss and so on.
4. Not getting a hearing aid fitting
There are several requirements that your hearing aids need to simultaneously juggle: They need to effectively amplify sound, they need to be simple to put in and remove, and they need to be comfortable in your ears. Your hearing aid fitting is intended to correctly calibrate all three of those variables for your individual requirements.
When you’re getting fitted, you may:
- Have your hearing tested to identify the power level of your hearing aid.
- Have molds of your ears made and measurements taken.
5. Not tracking your results
Once you’ve been fitted, it’s worthwhile to take notes on how your hearing aid performs and feels. If you have difficulty hearing in big rooms, make a note of that. If your right ear seems tighter than your left, make a note of that. Even make a note if everything feels right on. This can help us make custom, minute adjustments to help your hearing aids reach optimum comfort and effectiveness.
6. Not planning how you will utilize your hearing aid in advance
Some hearing aids are resistant to water. However, water can seriously damage others. Some have state-of-the-art features you may be willing to pay more for because you take pleasure in certain activities.
We can give you some recommendations but you must choose for yourself. You won’t use your hearing aid if it doesn’t fit in with your lifestyle and only you know what features you will utilize.
You and your hearing aid will be together for a number of years. So you don’t want to regret settling when you really would have benefited from a certain feature.
A few more things to think about
- How noticeable your hearing aid is may be something you’re worried about. Or, you might want to make a bold statement.
- Maybe you want a high degree of automation. Or maybe you’re more of a do-it-yourself kind of individual. Is a longer battery life essential to you?
- Talk with us about these things before your fitting so you can be certain you’re completely satisfied.
Throughout the fitting process we can address many of the challenges with regards to lifestyle, fit, and how you use your hearing aids. In addition, many hearing aid manufacturers will allow you to try out the devices before deciding. During this test period, you’ll be able to get an idea of whether a particular brand of hearing aid would meet your needs.
7. Neglecting to take sufficient care of your hearing aid
The majority of hearing aids are quite sensitive to moisture. If where you live is very humid, acquiring a dehumidifier might be worth the investment. Storing your hearing aid in the bathroom where people take baths or showers may not be the best idea.
Always wash your hands before touching the hearing aid or batteries. The life of your hearing aid and the longevity of its battery can be impacted by the oils naturally found in your skin.
Don’t let earwax or skin cells build up on the hearing aid. Instead, the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning procedures should be implemented.
Taking simple actions like these will improve the life and function of your hearing aid.
8. Failing to have a spare set of batteries
New hearing aid users often learn this lesson at the worst times. When you’re about to find out who did it at the crucial moment of your favorite show, your batteries quit without warning.
Like many electronic devices, battery life varies depending on how you use it and the external environment. So always keep a spare set of batteries handy, even if you just changed them. Don’t miss out on something important because of an unpredictable battery.
9. Not practicing your hearing exercises
When you first get your hearing aids, there might be a presumption, and it’s not always a baseless assumption, that your hearing aid will do all the work. But the regions of your brain responsible for interpreting sound are also impacted by hearing loss not just your ears.
Once you’ve got your hearing aids, you’ll be able to begin the work of rebuilding some of those ear-to-brain pathways and connections. This may occur quite naturally for some people, especially if the hearing loss was rather recent. But for others, an intentional approach might be required to get your hearing back to normal again. A couple of typical strategies include the following.
Reading out loud
One of the most efficient ways you can recreate those connections between your ears and your brain is to spend some time reading out loud. Even if you feel a little weird at first you should still practice like this. You’re practicing reconnecting the feeling of saying words with the sounds they make. The more you establish those connections, the better your hearing (and your hearing aid) will work.
Audiobooks
If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of reading something out loud yourself, then you can always try audiobooks. You can buy (or rent from the library) a physical copy of a book and the audiobook version of that same text. Then, you read along with the book while the audiobook plays. You’ll hear a word as you’re reading it just like reading out loud. And that helps the hearing-and-language part of your brain get accustomed to hearing (and understanding) speech again.
Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/